1. The project UPDATE is funded by the European Community's Sixth Framework Programme. designed by Competence Center Technology-Diversity-Equal Chances The Austrian part – an overview / Dissemination / Technology - Female! Edition of a volume of "schulheft", an Austrian periodical pocketbook series for teachers. Josef Seiter (red.): Technik – weiblich! Analysen zu mädchen- und frauenzentrierten Fördermaßnahmen im Bereich von Technik und Naturwissenschaft, schulheft 128, StudienVerlag, Innsbruck 2007, ISBN: 978-3- 7065-4446-7 This title comprises a collection of essays related to the topic "Girls and Technology". Science and experience prove that girls and boys develop a deep interest in natural science and technology at an equally early stage and that they encounter this experience with technology in a positive and motivating way. It is a fact, however, that particularly girls are setting up a distance towards technology and science in the course of their everyday lives and their business careers. The articles analyse encouragement and promotion measures for girls and women, starting with early education and ranging from school to their professional lives. An emphasis is put on gender sensitive education, "technical literacy", and a discourse on work in gender heterogeneous and homogeneous groups. The UPDATE project was referred to here. Report on the UPDATE project at the Austrian Conference "IMST" (Innovations in Mathematics, Science and Technology) in Linz/Upper Austria from September, 23 rd to September, 24 th 2008 within the work group Crafts and Technology on the topic of Technical Literacy/Education – brain research, developmental psychology Report in the Newsletter of Institut für Forschung, Innovation und Schulentwicklung – IFIS (Institute of Research, Innovation und School Development) Pädagagogische Hochschule Wien: Josef Seiter: UPDATE – ein EU-Projekt, das die Verbesserung der Technischen Erziehung anstrebt, IFIS-Newsletter 2, 2009 Report in the year-book of the International Office of the University of Education, Vienna: Josef Seiter:“UPDATE – ein EU-Projekt, das die Stärkung der technischen Erziehung anstrebt”, in: Europäische Perspektiven 2, Jahrbuch des Büro für Internationale Beziehungen, Pädagogische Hochschule Wien, Wien, Berlin 2009, S. 133-140 Paper in the “International Journal of Technology and Design Education” Springer Netherlands: Josef Seiter: “Crafts and technology” and “technical education” in Austria, online: http://www.springerlink.com/content/r4v61826152nl527/ 24. September 2009 Publication of results according to the questionnaire on the awareness concerning Technical Education and technical careers A report on the results will follow after closing the results of the research / Contacts with initiatives / The Austrian UPDATE partner is a member of a discussion group concerning the gender gap in MNT-subjects, established at the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Arts and Culture. At the ministry’s invitation Josef Seiter spoke about „girls, women and technology“ („Mädchen, Frauen und Technik“) and the UPDATE-project before of experts in the fields of „Gender- Bias“ and „Gender-Gap“ in mathematical and scientific subjects. Establishing an advisory board for UPDATE and constant contact with the members Ruth Mayr, a sociologist focusing on women and gender research in the field of jobs and the employment market, is the manageress of the Austrian project „mut!-Mädchen und Technik“ (Girls and Technology). (mut! means „courage!” in German) Werner Gruber, bio- und neurophysicist, scientific assistant at the Institute of Experimental Physics at the University of Vienna, lecturer, co-author of school books for physics and national education, is also well-known for the popularisation of phenomena of physics, for example in the field of "culinary" physics or in the construction of paper fliers. Contact with the Austrian Press Agency / APA A Report on UPDATE will follow after closing the project / Curriculum analysis WP 2, 3, 4 / Pre-school – Vorschule Written curricula for „pre-school“ (Vorschule: grade 0, 5-years-olds) include obligatory activities with issues of technology education on an average of 20 lessons a week. Subjects: handicrafts, „encountering the real world“ (Sachbegegnung), Maths in early childhood. Elementary school – Primarstufe An analysis of those subjects at general school (in particular: primary school 6 to 10-year-olds) which contain aspects of Technology Education/TE. Special focus on the subject Crafts and Technology and on parts of the subject General Studies (Sachunterricht). Crafts and Technology in primary and secondary schools focuses on aspects of architecture, technology and design. General Knowledge (Sachunterricht) in its so-called spheres of experience and learning in the fields of technology, nature and space intends to convey basic knowledge of the scientific subjects at secondary level. General education – Sekundarstufe An analysis of those subjects of general school (in particular: secondary school, 10 to 18/19-year-olds) which contain aspects of technological education. Special focus on the subject Crafts and Technology and on parts of the subjects Physics, Chemistry and Career Orientation. Crafts and Technology in primary and secondary schools focuses on aspects of design, architecture, technology. Career Orientation in lower secondary school should provide a basis for choosing a career. Physics tries to develop explanatory and model experiments for physical processes in nature and technology. Chemistry establishes structural principles for the material aspects of nature and technology. / Researching the weakpoints of Technology Education/Technisches Werken (Crafts and Technology) TE/TEW– a very short summary / Facts – amongst them A low prestige of the subject Technology Education/Crafts and Technology TE/TEW, because its content is usually associated only with crafts, decoration and doing small handicrafts, and not enough serious learning. Little popularity of those subjects which teach the contents of Technology Education/TE only theoretically. (Physics, Chemistry,...) When choosing alternative or optional compulsory subjects girls largely take Textile Crafts or within the subject TE/TEW they opt for Textile Crafts. Normally the subject TE/TEW is taught only up to lower secondary school. Austria has not enough specially trained teachers in TE/TEW. Conclusions – amongst them Strengthening those subjects which support the field of technology, especially the subject TE/TEW Teaching the subject to teach the subjects with a practical focus in close relation to their theoretical basis Curriculum: We demand a continued offer of the subject TE/TEW in general education until the end of upper secondary school. Further education of teachers and strengthening the technological awareness of teachers teaching technology Intensifying research / The awareness concerning Technical Education and technical careers (WP 3) - a questionnaire / – see poster. / Encouraging and recruiting female students WP 5 / Assistance with developing instruments for analysing the goals of the workpackage. In context of WP 5 the evaluation of 200 questionnaires of technical and non-technical students in Graz/Styria (University of Technology) and Vienna (University of Education) was carried out. Data were analysed with SPSS and transferred to the expert of WP5. / Description of best pedagogical practises for school WP 3, 4 / Technical Education in schools (WP2, WP3, WP4). Insight into materials, tools, technique, mechanics and electricity – see poster. / Description of best pedagogical practices – Encouraging and recruiting female students WP 2, 5 / Encouraging girls and female students from kindergarten up to further education für female teachers – see poster. Pädagogische Hochschule Wien University of Education Vienna Josef Seiter